Imagine standing on a long and unpaved road that has many twists and turns. In this very moment in time during which your feet join with the ground, you contemplate your temporal connection to the present tense – precisely where you’re at for this brief period of life.
You understand that behind you the road meandered. There may be pleasant weather in this instant, though from where you’ve come there were thunderous storms with howling wind and pellets of hail the size of baseballs.
Up ahead, at least as far as you can see, there appears to be pleasant skies. In the distance, you hear birds chirping and smell the faint fragrance of wildflowers. Still, you’re not standing behind or in front of yourself. That would be impossible.
Although you may have come through storms at one point, you aren’t there in this very moment. Likewise, despite the notion that you’ll hopefully walk towards fields of wildflowers and pleasant weather, you aren’t there yet.
No, you’re presently standing on a long and unpaved road that has many twists and turns. This is where you’re at. No matter where you’ve been or where you’re headed, you’re right here…right now.
The purpose of this brief, and admittedly clunky, imagery exercise is to help you become acquainted with knowledge about the past, present, and future. When practicing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) with clients, I invite people to consider that no matter where they’ve been or where they’re headed, they’re here…right now.
Joy, fear, anger, sorrow, disgust, and surprise associated with the path behind you are now no more. Similarly, these emotional experiences regarding the future are only possible in your imagination.
This is because every day you’ve ever awoken, it’s been today. You don’t wake up now and find that it’s yesterday. In like manner, you don’t wake up now and discover it’s tomorrow.
Every single day you awake, it’s today. Moreover, at every point during your life, you’ve existed in this very moment. Why is this psychoeducational lesson of any importance?
Often, people seek mental, emotional, and behavioral health services from me so that they may somehow remedy mistakes, trauma, or other unpleasant experiences of the past. However, I can only imagine what lies down the road behind clients.
Furthermore, and though we may behave as though we’ll experience tomorrow, clients and I can only imagine what lies on the road ahead. Therefore, I invite people to consider that with the efforts we perform together, work from where you’re at…moving forward.
Even if a client dies moments after attending session with me, the individual took steps in the now-belated present towards getting better. Arguably, that isn’t time wasted.
With this understanding, dear reader, how do you wish to spend your life in this very moment…moving forward? You cannot change your past, though you can effect change right now. If you’d like to know more about how to improve your life in this way, I’m here to help.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
Hollings, D. (2022, November 18). Big T, little t. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/big-t-little-t
Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer
Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use
Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better
Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/
Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching
Hollings, D. (2024, January 1). Psychoeducation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychoeducation
Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Imagery. The Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/imagery
Kovar, M. (2023, December 5). Long dirt road [Image]. Playground. Retrieved from https://playground.com/post/long-dirt-road-stretching-into-the-wilderness-winding-war-clpsttd3302xms6012dz3i4tz